How to Prepare for Your Baby’s Milestone Session | St. Louis Baby Milestone Photographer

How to Prepare For Your Baby’s Milestone Session to Ensure a Successful Session

To help you and your baby prepare for a successful baby milestone session, I have put together some tips and answered a few frequently asked questions for you. These helpful tips will apply to any milestone session, whether it’s a session in-studio or outdoors.

THE DAY OF THE SESSION

To set your baby up for a successful session, consider the following tips:

1. Feed your baby a meal or snack before heading in to the studio. A fed baby is a happy baby!

2. Schedule your session preferably right after nap time and when baby is at their happiest time of day. (If you want an outdoor session, this may not be possible due to sunset times).

3. Please wait until you are at the session location to get baby dressed in their outfit. This will ensure that there are no wardrobe accidents prior to the session and will help avoid wrinkles.

4. Avoid bringing snacks to the session. We want to avoid capturing images of baby with food in their mouth. (except the cake)

5. Avoid bringing toys or “lovies” that you do not want photographed. Once they see their favorite toy, it will be difficult to capture images without it.

6. Consider leaving guests and siblings at home. Baby can become easily distracted by too many people around during the session.

7. If you are doing a cake smash, consider bringing along a container for any leftovers that you might want to bring home. 

8. If you are providing a cake, I suggest placing an order about a month in advance with your bakery. We suggest either a 4 inch or 6 inch cake so that it does not appear larger or block the baby in the images.

9. If your baby has been sick within 48 hours of the session, please let me know immediately so that we can reschedule. It’s important to keep in mind that we often have newborns in the studio and we want to avoid unknowingly passing a virus on to a newborn baby. I also want your baby to be happy during their session and a sick baby is not a happy baby. If you are worried about the cake already being made, the cake can be placed in a freezer and used at a later date.

10. Avoid replacing nap time with a nap in the car on the way to the session. Babies who take their nap in the car, are often woken up mid-nap and are not happy. Or they don’t fall asleep in the car like they normally do.  I highly suggest doing baby’s normal nap time at home and then coming straight to the session. Schedule the best time of day between 10am-2pm that your baby is the happiest!

11. To ensure that baby will enjoy playing and eating the cake during the cake smash, let them play in some kind of mushy food like mashed potatoes a few times before the session. You could also try giving baby a cupcake a few times before their session. It can be more likely for baby to be interested in the cake if your baby has touched it and tasted it before!  

Frequently Asked Questions

HOW FAR IN ADVANCE DO I SCHEDULE MY BABY’S MILESTONE SESSION?

We suggest that you schedule your session date 2-3 months in advance. If you wait, you may not have many options to choose from when scheduling your session.

WHAT TIME SHOULD I EXPECT THE SESSION?

Baby milestone sessions are scheduled on Tuesdays and Thursdays. In-studio sessions can be scheduled between 10am-2pm. Outdoor sessions will take place 1.5 hours prior to sunset.

SHOULD I BRING PROPS? (short answer, no.)

Rather than having your eye moving around the image, I strive to make baby to be the first thing you see. If you have had the opportunity to view my portfolio, you will find that I provide a very specific style for in-studio milestone sessions. This style is very minimal and timeless which allows the images to be focused on baby rather than the “set up.” If you have chosen an in-studio session, you can expect at set up with a white wall with a white floor, a neutral colored chair, a white bed, a white cake stand for cake smashes, a white ballon, etc).

However, if you have a family heirloom or a special “lovie” that you would like photographed with your baby, I would LOVE to find a way to include it in the session.

WHAT SHOULD BABY WEAR?

There are a few options for baby:

• Naked baby bum
• Diaper cover
• Your outfit of choice
• Outfit from our studio wardrobe closet

I have a carefully curated selection of outfits for ages 6 months to 1 year available for both boys and girls. However, you also have the option to bring an outfit that you would like photographed.

Items with a vintage feel (lace, suspenders, neutral tones) photograph well and offer a timeless look. Try choosing outfits with texture (to avoid being too plain) and solid patterns. Rylee & Cru, Zara, Baby Gap, Jamie Kay(my fave), or H&M have great neutral-toned clothing options for babies. If you are planning on using outfits from our studio collection, please let me know which ones so I can set them aside for your session. For Signature Session clients, we will schedule a wardrobe consultation around 3-4 weeks before your session to plan out your wardrobe. For Simplicity Session clients, you will have the option to select wardrobe items on the day of your session.

WHAT TO EXPECT AT EACH BABY MILESTONE SESSION?

Babies tend to have a short attention span and we have found that they become uninterested in the session after around 30 minutes. Every baby is different, however, we have found that a 35-45 minute session is the perfect session time for a successful baby milestone session. Keep in mind that we will have plenty of time if we need to shoot longer. Signature Session clients can expect their session to last up to 1.5 hours which can include Mom, Dad, and siblings. Simplicity Session Clients will receive a 15-minute session which is reserved for baby only.

Signature Milestone Sessions will be baby focused, with a few parent shots. We will photograph baby in diaper cover/naked baby, our studio outfit, and/or an outfit provided by the parents. We can add bubbles, our wooden toys or you can bring along a family heirloom (wooden toys, quilt, etc) to be photographed. We will let your baby play and have fun while we capture all those smiles, playing, crawling, standing, as well as little details like the curl in their hair, the rolls in their thighs, and those cubby little toes. If you’ve decided to dedicate part of your session to a cake smash, we will bring out the cake for the last 10 minutes of the session.

WILL THE CAKE BE PROVIDED FOR THE 12-MONTH BABY MILESTONE SESSION?

No we do not provide the cake. However, we have worked with several lovely local bakeries over the years. Flour Dust Delights, Christina’s Confections, and Laulie’s Cakes, are all great places to order from. I suggest that you place your order 30-40 days in advance so that there is plenty of time to place an order.

I hope that these tips have been helpful in getting you prepared for your baby’s milestone session! The baby’s mood, clothing, and your expectations will all set the tone for your session.

Are you located in St. Louis or St Charles County area and still looking for a baby milestone photographer? Check out our baby milestone portfolio to see more of our work. Ready to get more information about our St Louis Baby Milestone Sessions so you can book your session? Send me a message HERE.